


Pick Up the Tempo

by moonrunes



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:08:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6198013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonrunes/pseuds/moonrunes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin bonds with his new neighbors over a love of music - specifically, Thorin's harp music. Original AU idea by radioproxy on Tumblr and Buttons the Kitten belongs to hattedhedgehog, also on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lento

Bilbo Baggins was not a musical person.

He considered himself completely tone deaf, without musical skill of any kind. He liked listening to music well enough - music of all sorts, from classical to rock - and if he sometimes danced to it while waiting for something to finish baking, well, no one was there to see it.

He had his favorites, of course - but between his busy lifestyle as a newspaper editor and his preference for reviewing articles in silence with nothing to disturb his environment, he didn’t have a lot of time to go to concerts. And anyways, listening to an mp3 was just as good and a lot cheaper. 

Thorin Oakenshield was a very musical person.

Since he was very young, he had been playing something - usually his harp. He had practiced for days on end, wanting to impress his father and his grandfather, until his fingers knew the notes as well as they knew they keys of his laptop. 

But as times grew harder, he’d sold the enormous harp, resigning himself to never playing again. By and by, it had fallen behind him.

Until he came home from work to find his sister packing every earthly possession they had into their car, informing him that they were moving because “this house is too big and there are better schools for the boys where we’re moving. Plus, Thorin, you can always work from home!” 

He had never been able to stop Dis from doing what she wanted.

Bilbo watched idly from his window as a car pulled up in front of the building. Bofur, the man who lived down the hall from him, had told him that someone was moving into the building - the rooms directly below Bilbo’s own. 

As he watched the tiny figures come out of the car with suitcases, Bilbo reminded himself to bring them food later. After just moving in, they probably wouldn’t have a lot in their fridge, and Bilbo knew it was important to build relationships between the people in the building. Or so said his mother.

He retreated off his balcony before one of them could look up and see him. 

The front door of their new apartment slammed with a sense of finality as Thorin set the suitcases on the floor. Fili and Kili wasted no time in unlocking the cat carrier and letting their kitten, Buttons, out. All three of them disappeared into hallway laughing, probably to explore, though Thorin didn’t know what there was to see. It was a small place; at least, compared to their old house, Thorin supposed. 

Dis was already walking around, surveying the empty space critically. “Maybe if we put a chair here, a couch here, and - oh! Thorin, we could get a harp for you and put it there!”

Before Thorin could respond, there was a commotion from the hall. “Mum! Uncle Thorin!” Fili came racing back out. “There’s two bedrooms, but can me and Kili share the one that Buttons likes?”

Dis laughed, ruffling Fili’s hair. “Well, that would depend on which one Buttons likes, wouldn’t it?” 

She followed him down the hallway, listening avidly to his description of the room, and Thorin had no choice but to follow. Sighing deeply, he lifted the boys’ suitcases and ambled down the hall, passing a dark bathroom and turning left into the room.

Buttons was already stretched out in a patch of sunshine, purring as Kili stroked her fur. The room was entirely bare, with an open closet and glass double doors leading on to a small balcony. Thorin furrowed his brows upon seeing the iron railing. What if they fell off? What if Buttons fell off? What if- 

Dis did not have the same concerns. “Of course! We can put your beds there and there once the moving truck comes! And we’ll put a bed for Buttons on the floor or on the bottom shelf of your nightstand - unless you want him to sleep on your bed!” Fili and Kili giggled as she swept over to the balcony doors and threw them open, breathing in the smoke-scented air. 

Thorin sighed. This new place was so unlike home; if anything could even be considered home. What would happen now?

A few days passed, and Bilbo did not see his new neighbors again. He kept meaning to bring them food, but it always slipped his mind, being replaced by work and responsibility. 

After one particularly stressful day, Bilbo collapsed into his chair. What was going on with the press these days? Lunatics, all of them, especially that kid who tried to sell him pictures of some guy in a costume. 

He scrubbed one hand over his eyes and sighed again. The apartment was completely silent except for -

Wait, what was that?

Thorin sat on the edge of his bed, surveying the gift from Dis. She had insisted, even though they’d not much money to spend, but Dis always got her way. Hence the slightly used full-size harp sitting in front of him.

Thorin had not touched it since Dis told him to take it to the room while she sorted out the furniture. He’d protested, but she insister that the boys would be enough help and that he should really start playing again and that helping would stop Fili and Kili from getting underfoot. Thorin wasn’t even sure that Fili and Kili knew what it was.

He sighed and pulled it over to him, glancing out the open balcony doors self-consciously before reassuring himself that no one would be listening, that they might not even be home at this time, and that a harp wasn’t so loud that it would disturb the neighbors.

Slowly, his fingers stroked the strings, coaxing beautiful notes from the secondhand harp. It took him only a few seconds to remember his lessons as his hands glided up and down the strings, quietly playing an old melody that stirred a vague memory of warm blankets and bedtime stories. 

Undisturbed by worries and nephews alike, Thorin lost himself in the music until something small flew through the open balcony doors and hit him in the eye.

“Ow!”

Bilbo leaned against the railing, listening intently for the quiet notes floating up from the floor below. The song being played was soulful and quiet, holding some deep meaning that Bilbo couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

“Bilbo?” 

Turning his head, Bilbo put a finger to his lips, looking at his mother, the inhabitant of the other bedroom in his flat. Belladonna nodded and came to stand by him on the balcony, both listening to the music of the harp. 

Bilbo had a sudden idea. Balancing his ever-present notepad against the railing, he scrawled on it, thinking of ways to get it down without it falling onto the street below.

He surveyed the messy writing as self-doubt crept in around the corners of his vision. This was a stupid idea. Why did it occur to him in the first place?

Belladonna had no such qualms. Peering over his shoulder, she whispered, “Bilbo! That’s an excellent idea - may I see?”

Before Bilbo could so much as blink, his mother had pulled the sheet of paper and expertly folded it into a paper airplane. Bilbo gasped as she gripped it tightly, leaning so far over the railing that Bilbo was momentarily afraid that she was going to fall, and throwing it so that it soared below.

Bilbo pulled her upright, eyes wide, just in time to hear a loud “Ow!” from below.

Hand over his eye, Thorin picked up the folded airplane from where it landed on the ground, careful not to let the harp fall. Why would someone - 

He turned it over to see a corner of messy handwriting under the wing - a message? He unfolded it carefully, trying not to rip the excellent handiwork, and read the note to himself.

A humble request to the harpist - “Liebestraum” No. 3. by F. Liszt.

Thorin looked up. Apparently someone had heard him practicing, someone with handwriting that looped and swirled all over the page in a confusing but artistic manner. 

He shrugged. No harm would come of playing a piece so humbly requested - and it helped that he’d played the very same music at some festival a very long time ago, too long to bear remembering.

Taking his hand off his eye gingerly, he plucked the opening notes of the piece, losing himself in the music again. 

As the last notes were blown away by the breeze, Thorin was startled to hear very loud clapping from the balcony above his. 

He smiled at the ceiling, glad to hear that they liked it.

Bilbo’s hands hurt by the time he stopped clapping. Belladonna looked at him with sparkling eyes and whispered, “If those are the new neighbors that you told me about the other day, sometime we should go and introduce ourselves - bring some food or something, see who plays the wonderful music!”

Belladonna had always been great at working with people or socializing; Bilbo, however, had inherited his father’s quiet tendencies. Now that he’d heard the harpist, he suddenly felt a lot more intimidated. What if he made a fool of himself? What if he did something terrible? What if-

His mother swept off towards the kitchen, humming to herself. “In fact, I think I’ll do it today,” she said to Bilbo. “You’re welcome to come along.”


	2. Adagio

The doorbell rang, and Thorin jumped.

Dis had left only twenty minutes ago, and Thorin was always on edge when she wasn’t around - anything social was her area of expertise, not his. 

The boys, having inherited their mother’s innate sense of curiosity, hopped up and tore down the hall, followed closely by Buttons, prompting Thorin to get up and follow them slowly. He heard the door open when he was still in the hallway, and the buzz of conversation. He walked into the open front room and put on his best “welcoming neighbor” face, hoping that it didn’t look too forced.

There seemed to be two people at the door, though Thorin could only see the hands of one. The other was a grey-haired lady, bent down and talking to Fili and Kili, both of whom were responding enthusiastically. 

“There’s our uncle!” Kili ran over (Mahal, did that child never run out of energy?) and pulled on his finger, towing him to the door. “Yes, Mrs. Baggins, this is our uncle!”

The grey-haired lady smiled at him, holding out a hand. “My name is Belladonna Baggins, pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Thorin responded formally, wincing internally as soon as the words came out of his mouth. “As I’m sure they’ve told you, these are my nephews, Fili and Kili, and I’m Thorin. Thorin Oakenshield.”

Belladonna’s eyes sparkled. “Ah, yes, Fili and Kili have been telling me a little bit about their kitten. Buttons, isn’t it, Mr. Oakenshield?”

“Yes.” Thorin glanced down to make sure that neither kitten nor nephew had escaped into the hallway. “Though, you can call me Thorin. Oakenshield sounds too formal.” He made an attempt at a smile and was relieved when Belladonna laughed. “Then, Thorin, you can call me Bella. Nearly everyone does and - oh! Yes, this is my son, Bilbo.”

She reached into the hallway, pulling the other’s arm so that more than just his arm was visible, and Thorin was very sure that he turned red.

Oh, no.

Bilbo was only a little shorter than his mother, with sandy-brown hair and kind eyes. He was carrying a glass dish covered with a striped towel. He was also red, Thorin noted, but probably from the heat or something. 

“Pleased to meet you as well, Mr. Baggins.” Thorin hoped that Belladonna would attribute his blush to heat and that Fili or Kili wouldn’t say anything, and was relieved when Bilbo looked up and smiled tremulously, insisting, “Oh, no, it’s just Bilbo. Please.”

Belladonna smiled, looking back and forth, and said, “We brought you a little dish, as a housewarming gift - an old family recipe, acorn cake!”

Bilbo handed Thorin the dish and Thorin carefully set it on the counter. “Thank you! You shouldn’t have gone to the trouble -”

He was interrupted by Kili, who asked, “How are you our neighbors? I don’t think you live across the hall, do you?”

“No, we live right above you.” Belladonna pointed up as she said it and paused. “Speaking of which, who was the wonderfully talented harpist that we heard this morning?”

Thorin, if possible, turned even redder. Fili jumped up and down, squealing, “It was Uncle Thorin! Ama made him get a harp and start playing again!”

Both Bagginses turned to look at him again, and Thorin felt his ears go red. He lowered his head and scuffed his shoe on the ground.

“That was excellent!” His head snapped up as he stared at Belladonna in confusion. Bilbo was smiling again and Thorin tried not to let that distract him. “Thank you.” He didn’t think about his next question, it just kind of burst out when he asked, “Who sent down the request?”

“Oh, I did, but it was Bilbo’s request.” Bilbo turned red and looked at the ground, muttering something intelligible, but Thorin smiled genuinely for the first time. “Nice taste in music, then, Bilbo.”

“Thank you.” Bilbo smiled at him and Thorin found himself lost until Belladonna tugged on Bilbo’s arm again and said, “Well, nice to meet you, Thorin, Fili, Kili, I hope I get to meet your mother soon! We’ll see you later!”

Thorin closed the door behind them as they walked away, taking a second to lean his forehead against the closed door, thinking about the new neighbors.

Music and airplanes, this was already a weird place. Strangely, though, it was starting to feel like home.


	3. Andante

“Rawr!”

Fili shook his stuffed puppy in front of Button’s nose, and the kitten swatted it obligingly. Kili made a mock sound of pain, pulling Fili’s arm back, whisper-shouting, “Help! Get the medics! Cinnamon is wounded from her fight with the - the fire breathing dragon!”

As Fili made the appropriate whimpering noises a dog in pain ought to make, he watched carefully as Kili’s chubby fingers helped his goat toy to administer Band-Aids (stolen from Uncle Oin’s grey doctor bag) to Cinnamon’s right leg. 

A great snore rose from the bed, where Uncle Thorin was sleeping. Fili risked a glance at the lump under the blanket and decided that he was really, truly asleep, not likely to suddenly jerk to life and play with them. Though Ama said it was a good thing that he was sleeping - she said that he had been “very stressed lately” and “he needs sleep”.

He could hear her, in the kitchen, footsteps on the floor like she was making something, and Fili licked his lips as he thought of what she might be making. Kili tugged on his arm, and Fili looked down to see that Little Kili the goat had finished Cinnamon’s medical treatment.

“C’mon, Kili, let’s go see what Ama is making!” He hopped up, clutching Cinnamon with one hand and Kili’s arm in the other. They tiptoed to the door, shutting it quietly behind them before racing down the hallway with their stuffed animals bouncing against their legs.

“Ama!” Fili and Kili threw themselves at Dis’ legs, hugging her as she laughed and looked down. “Hello, boys. Done with your battle already?”

“Yup.” Fili tipped his head back to grin at her with two missing front teeth. “I died, and so did Kili, and Uncle Thorin, but it’s okay, we only died in the story.”

“I thought your uncle was asleep.” Dis raised an eyebrow at them. “I hope you didn’t wake him up to kill him.”

“Yeah, but he still died,” Kili piped up. “We climbed on him and stabbed him but he didn’t even wake up!” His eyes widened and his voice dropped as he tried to relay the importance of his uncle not being awake. Dis rolled her eyes, turning back to her task. “He doesn’t sleep often, but when he does, he sleeps like a bear, doesn’t he?” She shot a guilty glance down at them. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“We won’t,” they giggled, letting go of Dis’ legs. Fili stood on his toes, trying to see the countertop, and asked, “What’re you making, Ama?”

“Bombur’s tea cakes.” Dis frowned at the stained note card in front of her. “I was making them for the nice lady who dropped by the other day - the one who lives upstairs, what was her name?”

“Mrs Belladonna!” Kili shouted, earning a “Shh!” from Fili as a particularly loud snort came from Thorin. “She was nice.”

“Mhm.” Dis vigorously whisked whatever was inside the bowl. “And the acorn cake was delicious, don’t you think?”

“Yeah!” Kili bounced over to the new chairs around the table and pulled. “Can I help you, Ama?”

“I think you ought to go let Buttons out first,” Dis remarked. “You might have shut him in there with Uncle Thorin when you closed the door.”

“Oh no!” Fili dashed back down the hallway, followed closely by an aghast Kili. They charged through the door and Buttons greeted them with loud meows and purring. As Fili reached down to stroke him, Kili grabbed his arm. “Fili, I have an idea!”

“What?” Fili whispered, glancing at Uncle Thorin. Kili leaned in close and whispered back dramatically, “We should go deliver the tea cakes to Mrs Belladonna!”

“D’you think Ama would let us?” Fili said doubtfully, and Kili shrugged and pouted. “I dunno. Maybe if Uncle Thorin went with us?”

“Yeah!” Kili pulled Fili back down the hall, Buttons padding after them and meowing. “Ama!”

“Hmm?” Dis was standing in front of the refrigerator, and as Kili explained his idea for the delivery of the tea cakes, she absentmindedly gave Buttons a stray piece of tuna from her tuna sandwich. As Buttons licked it happily, she straightened up and considered it. “Okay - but only if Uncle Thorin wants to go with you. The tea cakes will be done in six minutes, okay?”

“Okay!” they chorused, and sprinted away to wake up their uncle, with Buttons meowing and trotting after them.

The uncle in question was having an excellent dream involving acorn cake when all the air in his lungs suddenly exited through his mouth as both of his nephews jumped on him.

Needless to say, he woke up immediately.

“Oof!” The boys giggled as he heaved himself upright and grunted. “What item did you need to get off the top shelf this time?”

“Nothing, Uncle.” Kili sat next to him on the bed, swinging his legs back and forth as Fili picked up Buttons and put him on the bed. “We wanna go deliver tea cakes to Mrs. Belladonna and Ama says that you have to come with us.”

“Hmm.” Thorin scratched Buttons behind his ears and contemplated the situation. While it would be nice to compliment Bella on her cooking, it would also probably mean that he would come face to face with her (shockingly attractive) son. 

He didn’t have time to weigh the odds before Fili and Kili were both jumping on him, pleading.

“Please, Uncle, please?” They gazed up at him with their infamous puppy dog eyes, known to every relative that they had as a sure-fire way of getting treats or anything that they wanted. Thorin was actually quite sure that their faces could cause world peace, if they so desired. 

“Better get your shoes on,” he sighed, and the boys cheered as they scrambled off the bed and fell over each other trying to get to the door. Thorin sighed again, wondering for a brief moment how it felt to have that much energy before stumbling off the bed and lifting Buttons down with him.

The doorbell rang.

Bilbo would later say that he did not jump, in fact, he had a habit of bouncing his leg and it just so happened that at the second the doorbell rang, his leg gave a particularly violent bounce, sending his now-cold tea flying.

Belladonna immediately appeared from her bedroom, where she’d been typing something up, and opened the door faster than should be humanly possible. Bilbo stood up, keeping the minor spill on his pants angled away from the door, and peered around his mother to see who it could be.

Oh, no.

Thorin Oakenshield stood in the doorway, smiling as Belladonna talked and laughed, with two little boys (his nephews, if Bilbo remembered correctly) each holding a little plate. Bilbo wondered for a brief moment if he could still sneak away before Belladonna dropped back and seized his arm.

Bilbo bit back a grunt - there was no way his mother was this strong - as she dragged him over to the door, still smiling cheerfully. “Actually, I was wondering if your sister would like to join me - a few friends and I are going out this Friday, do you think she would like to come?”

“Maybe,” Thorin responded, smiling at Bilbo. “She doesn’t like to leave the boys alone with me, though, she thinks I spoil them.”

“Oh, no doubt about that,” Belladonna smiled, taking the plates from the boys. “What are these?”

“Tea cakes!” squeaked the black-haired one. “Ama made them for you as a thank you for the acorn cake!”

“It was delicious, thank you,” Thorin rumbled. Bilbo prayed his face wasn’t going up in flames, though from what he was feeling, one could light a bonfire off the heat coming off his cheeks.

“You know…” Belladonna trailed off as she set the plates of tea cakes down on the counter. “If your sister - her name is Dis, right? - if she wants to come, then Bilbo will help you babysit Fili and Kili if you want.”

Bilbo stared at her in shock for what felt like an eternity, and for five seconds no one spoke.

“Yeah!” The blond one seized his uncle’s hand. “Can we can we can we?”

“If that’s all right with you.” Bilbo’s eyes widened as he realized Thorin was talking to him, and he squeaked, “Um, yes, sure, of course. That is all right.”

Thorin smiled and nodded - was that a hint of blush in his cheeks as well? - before thanking Belladonna again and allowing himself to be led away by his nephews. Belladonna shut the door behind them gently and smiled at Bilbo.

“Thanks, Mum,” Bilbo grumbled, only half sarcastic. Belladonna came up to him and hugged him.

“You need to get out of the apartment more anyways, dear.”


	4. Moderato

“Thorin!”

Thorin jerked his head up at Dis’ call, accidentally smacking his head against the top of the boys’ pillow fort. They giggled and pulled him down, and he shouted back, “Yes?”

“I’m going! Bilbo’s supposed to come in around five minutes, so be expecting him, okay?”

“Okay!” Thorin shouted back, wincing internally as Fili and Kili clapped their hands over their ears. “Have fun!”

“Thanks!” The door slammed and Thorin only wondered for a few seconds about where she was going - she’d said something about a range, but he had been otherwise occupied at the time.

Buttons meowed at him from his perch on Fili’s lap, and Thorin shrugged at the kitten. Fili stayed absolutely still, waiting to see what Buttons would do, before getting pulled to his feet by Kili. “Fili! C’mon - Uncle, when is the pizza going to be here?”

“Soon, I hope,” Thorin replied, crawling out of the fort after them, being careful not to accidentally squash Buttons’ tail. The boys were already ahead of him, racing down the hall in the time it took Thorin to straighten up with a groan. I’m getting too old for this, he thought, wincing. 

Buttons, being the exceptionally polite kitten that he was, waited until Thorin was nearly through the doorway before following the boys - and it was just then that the doorbell rang.

Fili and Kili beat him to the door (not surprisingly) and tore it open, revealing Bilbo Baggins on the other end, smiling in that nervous way of his. He had a book bag at his side, and Thorin only wondered what it could be for a second before he was smiling and welcoming Bilbo in, his mother’s voice rising up in his mind - “Thorin! Be polite!”

The pizza arrived just a few seconds later, sparing any conversations as all four ate. Fili and Kili were delighted upon learning that the book bag’s contents included a dessert from Belladonna, which they fell on ravolously as if they had not just eaten several slices of pizza each.

A frantic knocking disturbed them from their acorn-cake induced silence, and Thorin heaved himself up from the couch, lumbering over to the door and keeping one ear open as Fili and Kili called for Buttons, wanting Bilbo to meet their cat.

The door swung open, and Thorin found himself face-to-face (well, face-to-upper-chest, really) with a stranger and an old enemy.

Technically, he and Thranduil hadn’t been enemies, per say, They just were both competitive. And mildly reckless. And, of course, there was the matter of the Incident, as it was referred to now.

But as he stepped back, he noticed two things - one, both the stranger and Thranduil had eyes full of near-terror, not hate, and two, Thranduil’s hair looked oddly mussed. 

Thorin didn’t have a second to wonder why before the stranger blurted out, “My name is Bard - have you seen two girls and a boy around here?”

“And a redhead girl, with a white-blond boy,” added Thranduil, wrinkling his nose almost imperceptibly at Thorin.

As Thorin resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose back, Bilbo piped up from behind him. “No, no, I’m afraid we haven’t - Kili, what’s wrong?”

Thorin turned around to see fat tears leaking out of his youngest nephew’s eyes. “We can’t find Buttons!”

“I know!”

Dis scarfed down her burger, listening to Gwaerenil talk with Matilda - each on the subject of their children. Belladonna sat next to her, quietly chuckling, though about what, Dis wasn’t sure.

“My Legolas - he’s always running around and getting into trouble, and his sister is even worse!” Gwaerenil - she’d asked everyone to call her Gwae - threw up her hands in exasperation. “And I always worry that Thranduil is being too lax with them, but every time they give me the puppy eyes-”

“You feel like a terrible person,” supplied Matilda, and Gwae nodded intensely. “What about you, Dis? Any children?”

“Just two little rascals.” The other women made sympathetic noises, all heedless of the shooting going on in the range just inside the door and instead only concentrating on the wind and the topic of conversation. 

“How old?” Matilda asked, and Dis told them. Both others tipped their heads to the side.

“You know, I’m sure mine wouldn’t mind playing with yours a bit, sometime.”

“Yes.” Dis thought about Fili and Kili and how excited they would be at the prospect of new playmates. “Yes, I think my boys would like that.”

“Can we, please?”

“No,” Bilbo answered firmly. “Your uncle told you to stay in the apartment until he finds Buttons and the other children, so stay here you will.”

Fili let out a great sigh. “But Uncle Thorin got lost on the way up here! He’ll never find Buttons!”

“Well, he’ll find Buttons quicker than if you were there for him to worry about too,” reasoned Bilbo, not unkindly. Fili frowned and pulled Kili over, whispering in his ear.

“We have to go help Uncle!”

“But how?” Kili whispered back. Fili thought for a second, then an idea struck him. “Mister Bilbo?”

“Yes?”

“We were wondering if we might be able to see your apartment. It’s higher up than ours, so there might be a better view.” Fili prided himself on being quite smart when the situation called for such, and as Bilbo was unaccustomed to the boys’ tricks, he paused for only a moment before nodding.

“Okay. One visit, I suppose - then it’s back here for you, understand?”


	5. Allegro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adults go looking for children, children go looking for cats. Tauriel is a Hero, Tilda has an Adventure, and Kili wins the prize for being the least subtle.

Bilbo would later swear that he only turned around for a second, no more - he needed to see which key it was to fit into his lock - and when he turned back around to welcome the boys into his apartment, they were nowhere to be found.

“Fili? Kili!” he shouted down the hallway, looking left and right to no avail. They had disappeared; when, he couldn’t say. Off to find Buttons, presumably.

Thorin’s going to kill me.  
~~~~~

“Shh, shhh,” Legolas whispered, looking absolutely terrified at the crying little girl. “It’s okay, Tilda.”

“I want Daddy!” wailed Tilda, and Sigrid hugged her. “S’okay, Tilda, we’ll see Daddy soon - and then, we can tell him about our adventure!”

Tilda nodded, wiping away her tears and taking Bain’s hand, and they all stood up. Tauriel was already up, glancing around the hallway nervously. “I-I don’t recognize this hall,” she whispered to Legolas, and he frowned. “The apartment building isn’t that big, right? So if we go around and walk up a coupla stairs, then we should be back at Ada’s apartment.”

“Maybe.” Tauriel didn’t look too convinced, but her look of skepticism was quickly interrupted as two other kids came barreling down the hallway, one of them crashing into her and the other one skidding to a stop just in time.

“Getoffa me!” shrieked Tauriel, and the little boy rolled off. “Ow. Sorry. Hey, Fili?”

“Yeah?” the other one responded.

“Are there little stars floating around my head - like in the comics? I don’t see ‘em, but-”

Tauriel reached down and hauled him up, and he smiled goofily, like a very small puppy that just got a treat. “Thanks. Woah, you’re pretty.”

She blushed, and Legolas stared at her. “What? Also, what’s your name?”

“I’m Fili!” chirped the blond one, 

“I’m Kili!” said the black-haired one.

“At your service!” they said in unison, and bowed. It seemed a tad formal, in Legolas’ eyes, but he nodded regally and tried to introduce himself politely but still in an awe-inspiring way. “I’m Legolas, at yours.”

“I’m Tauriel, and this is Bain, Sigrid, and Tilda.” The three Bowman kids looked up briefly to smile at the two newcomers before looking back down at their beat-up shoes. Fili looked at them, confused.

“Hey, wait, I think your dad was looking for you - he came to our apartment-”

“And we’re looking for our kitty, Buttons,” interrupted Kili, and Fili shoved him. 

“A kitty?” Tilda appeared to appreciate the news, and Fili crouched down to grin at her. “Yeah! We lost Buttons - have you seen her?”

“No,” replied Bain. “We can help you look for her, though.”

“Cool!” cheered Kili, while at the same time Fili grinned wider and said, “Thanks!”

“No problem,” answered Legolas. “Isn’t that what neighbors do?”

The little team set down the hallway, Sigrid holding Tilda’s hand and everyone talking animatedly, blissfully unaware of the havoc going on only two floors below.  
~~~~

Thorin raked his hand through his hair. Where were those kids - more relevantly, where was that cat?

Thranduil looked more worried than Thorin had ever seen him - his hands were shaking and he checked his phone every five seconds, it seemed. Bard was a little more calm - he had the presence of mind to check thoroughly in places where small children might hide and knock on doors, asking if anyone had seen the missing children. Thorin was amply glad for Bilbo watching his nephews - who knew what Fili and Kili would get up to-

“Thorin!” 

Thorin jerked his head up, turning around towards the direction of his name. Bilbo. That sounded like Bilbo. Why was he here, what happened?

“What happened?” He didn’t mean to growl, or for it to sound quite so...mean. The poor man’s face went entirely white and he stammered, “Fili and Kili w-wanted to go to my apartment, and I-I swear I only turned around for a second, maybe two, a-and they disappeared!”

Thorin swore loudly, much to the shock of the old lady that Bard was interviewing. She humphed and slammed the door, but Thorin didn’t notice. “They do that - too much. I’m sorry, Bilbo, I should have warned you.” He rested his forehead in his hand and sighed. 

“I-I can help you find them,” Bilbo offered, and Thorin looked up in surprise. “If you wanted to - I wouldn’t want to force you or anything-”

“No, no, it’s fine! Plus-” Bilbo looked at Thorin meaningfully, “-my mother adores your nephews. She’d kill me if I lost them and didn’t help find them again.”

Thorin gave a strained smile, thanking him quickly and regrouping with Bard and Thranduil. “We’re looking for two more children now,” he sighed, and Thranduil rolled his eyes.

“Maybe they’ve found each other,” suggested Bard. “That would make them easier to find.”

“Let’s hope so,” grunted Thorin, and the group split again.  
~~~~

Tauriel led the little party down the stairs, going slowly so that Bain, with a tired Tilda on his back, could keep up. Fili and Legolas had offered to take her several times, but he’d refused - Tauriel guessed that he’d relinquish Tilda to his older sister when he got too tired.

They came out into the lobby, looking under chairs and tables to try and find the lost orange kitten. Tauriel tried to look harder than everyone else - she wanted so badly to be the one to find the kitten, to be the one to save the day.

“What’s wrong, dears?” All of them jumped at the sound of the landlady’s voice. The woman was standing over them, brows wrinkled in a concerned, motherly way.

“Nothing, Ms. Bianca,” Legolas said respectfully, as the others gathered around him. “We were just looking for Fili and Kili’s lost kitten.”

“A little orange kitten?” she asked, and Kili burst forwards. “Yeah! Have you seen her?”

“I think so,” said Ms. Bianca, tapping her chin. “I believe I last saw the kitten hiding in the plants down there.” She pointed down the hallway and the little group raced in that direction, calling thanks to her over their shoulders.

“Do your parents know where you are?” she called after them, but they were too far away and couldn’t hear her.  
~~~~

Thorin sighed, climbing down the stairs, shoulders slumped. The top three floors had been empty, and with only two floors left (not counting the main lobby) the worse possibilities began to swirl through his mind.

What if they’d left the building? What if they’d fallen out a window - unlikely, he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about that anyways. What if they’d been kidnapped, or taken, or-

“Mister Greenleaf!” All four men looked up at the sound of their landlady’s voice as she called out to Thranduil from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Ms. Bianca,” he said respectfully, reaching the last step but still standing taller than she. She humphed and went on. 

“I just saw your children - was it you or was it Gwae who taught them such good manners? Oh, and Mr. Oakenshield, your nephews are absolutely adorable - so concerned for their lost cat!”

“Where did you see them?” asked Thranduil urgently, and Ms. Bianca pointed. “Down there - to the lobby and down the hall with the plants. I thought you knew where they were!”

“Thank you!” they called as they ran off, rushing past her and thundering down the stairs. Hilda Bianca rolled her eyes to watch them go, sighing and wondering for a brief second, when the women would be back from the firing range.  
~~~

“Buttons!”

Calling the kittens name wouldn’t help, Legolas wanted to say. Cats aren’t like dogs - they don’t respond to names. But he kept his mouth shut anyways, looking underneath tables and behind potted plants. A bright orange kitten here? Why was this so hard?

“Kili! Is this Buttons?” Legolas turned to see Tauriel holding up a purring orange kitten, paws dangling in the air like someone was going to start singing the Circle of Life.

“Yeah!” Fili and Kili nearly tripped over themselves trying to get to her, taking Buttons from her gently and thanking her, over and over again, with the occasional “You’re really good at finding things!” from Kili. 

Everyone else congregated around Fili, now sitting crosslegged in the middle of the floor petting their kitten, who look unperturbed at the amount of trouble spent finding her and purring at all the attention. Tilda patted her head gently, and Sigrid smiled. 

“Now it should be easy getting back - we only have to go up until we get-”

“Legolas!” 

In retrospect, Legolas supposed that having his name called first would have been very embarrassing, though not as embarrassing as Thranduil suddenly sweeping down the hallway and hugging him tightly. He was reassured, however, by the fact that it was happening to everyone else, too.

“Daddy! We had an adventure!” Tilda seemed to have been rejuvenated by the kitten’s rescue - she babbled about the cat as Bard picked her up and led the other two by the hand back down the hall, nodding to them. Bain and Sigrid waved goodbye and Legolas did his best to wave back, though it was hard, seeing as he was now squished up against Tauriel as Thranduil hugged them both.

“Ow. Ada, you’re crushing us.” At this, Thranduil immediately let them go, fussing over them like a tall, blond chicken.

“Ada, we’re fine.” Legolas rolled his eyes, but Tauriel smiled. “We found Buttons!”

“Thank you for finding Buttons,” said a voice, and both of them whipped around to see a tall man with black hair, holding Kili’s hand and holding a kitten majestically (if such a thing was possible). He smiled at them kindly, before looking at Thranduil and nodding slightly, now looking a bit like he’d accidentally eaten something that tasted bad. “Thranduil.”

With that, he moved off, the shorter man with the curly brown hair trailing just behind him, holding Fili’s hand. Both brothers waved goodbye to Legolas and Tauriel, and they waved back. 

“Let’s get you back home,” said Thranduil, finally straightening up and taking their hands. “Not a word to your mother, okay?”  
~~~~~

It was pretty late when the ladies finally came back, their eyes lit and laughing together like they’d been friends forever. As Belladonna and Dis went in to check on the sleeping boys (who’d fallen asleep immediately after their little adventure, Buttons at their side) Thorin looked over at Bilbo.

“Sorry that the boys gave you trouble.”

Bilbo jumped. “What? Oh, no, it’s fine, really.”

Thorin shook his head. “No, it’s not fine. I think I owe you a few hours of peace - there’s a nice looking cafe on the corner that I was looking to try...”

Bilbo looked up, shocked. Thorin’s face had gone entirely red - he was staring at the currently empty wall as if it held the secrets to life.

“Well.” Bilbo coughed. “Um, I think I would quite like to try the cafe out with you,” he hummed.

Thorin smiled. “Well, then, are you free next Thursday?”

“Yes! But only after 5 o’clock.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a little while longer before Dis and Belladonna came out of the boys’ room, saying their thank yous and goodnights. Bilbo and Belladonna left soon afterwards, and as soon as they had, Dis turned to Thorin decisively.

“What happened this time?”


End file.
